Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange
Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [tires]

A petroleum based rubber mounted on the wheels of vehicles to provide a higher friction coefficient between a vehicle and a road surface.

Here is an answer that contains some great information right that explains how to read those confusing markings on the sides of car tires.

If you're not quite sure how much air to put in your tires, this answer is a great resource to have a look at!

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Why don't we rotate tyres but you rotate tires?

Is planning a regular rotation of new tyres over their lifespan a good or bad plan? From many posts I've seen here and elsewhere on the web, motorists in the USA seem to see rotating tires as a task which ought to be undertaken at regular intervals.…
Steve Matthews
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Why don't people hand pump their tires?

My bicycle tires go to 60 psi, and I can easily fill them up from nothing with less than 10 pumps. My car tires are at 32 psi, so shouldn't they be even easier? Yet I have never heard of anyone hand pumping their car tires. Why not?
Morce1946
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Is tire rotation important?

I just bought new tires for my car and included was free tire rotation every 7,500 miles for the life of the tires. I have heard many things about tire rotation, including: it's a worthless practice, don't bother tires should never be rotated from…
JSmitty
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Does kicking a tire off your car from underneath it while it's held up by a stable jack pose safety threats?

I just had to put a doughnut on my car and I used the typical manufacturer car jack that fits into that little slot of metal near your wheel. After I got all the lug nuts out, I tried pulling the wheel off in several different ways with all my…
Katz_Katz_Katz
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Why use snow tires on all 4 wheels on 2-wheel-drive cars?

In a car without four-wheel drive—if the car provides drive power on only two wheels—why put snow tires on all four wheels when the freeze sets in? Would it not be sufficient to change just the drive wheels? Is it just a question of use of the…
Calaf
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"Fill nitrogen in tires" poster - are the claims credible or just hot air?

I saw this poster at a tire shop earlier today As the image quality isn't great, I'll reproduce the advert's claims in writing: Take the lead! Ride smart! [Nitrogen] for your SAFETY & ECONOMY Nitrogen molecules are bigger than normal air Less…
Zaid
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What are the benefits of low profile tires?

I have yet to find anyone that knows of any benefits of low-profile tires. All of the pros that I've asked have said there is no benefit. Naturally, the number of pros that I have available to ask is limited so I'm wondering what a wider audience…
Dave
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Cheap winter tires vs high quality all seasons

My car honda CR-V is in pretty desperate need of new tires. I've put away a small amount from my last few paycheques, but it's not a whole lot. I'm curious as to whether you would feel it's a better choice to purchase cheap winter tires (GT Radial,…
user33322
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How old is too old for a new tire?

When shopping for new tires from tirerack.com, the production date of the tires is listed. I'm considering tires from a 2007 production run, which would make them around 5 years old today (after damaging a tire, I'm looking at buying a pair of the…
mac
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What is my friend's wife not telling him (about this tire)?

So a friend of mine sent me this picture of a "blow out" that happened on his wife's car (some Infinity coupe). She said that it just happened all of a sudden with no warning. She says she pulled over as soon as possible, but from that severe…
JPhi1618
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How do I loosen stuck lug nuts in order to change a tire?

How do I loosen car tire lug nuts (so that I can change a tire) when they are really really stuck? I have tried turning the provided wrench, even standing and jumping on it. This worked for 4 of the lug nuts, but not the bottom-most one. I have…
Steven
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Must I Replace All 4 Tires on an All Wheel Drive (AWD) vehicle?

I have a 2005 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Wagon. I just destroyed the passenger-side rear tire. The tires have approx. 6/32" tread remaining, per an informal measurement with a coin (I used this guideline from tirerack.com) These are Nokian tires, and…
qxotk
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Why are wheels labeled "R16" when the 16" is actually the diameter?

Just wondering about this, unless the R doesn't mean "Radius" it doesn't make much sense.
SamCyanide
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What is the small metal square attached to the wheel or tire?

I found that this small metal square labelled "1/4 FE" had come off my car's wheel yesterday. I am wondering what it could be, and whether it's important to put it back on.
Tri Trinh
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Are tyre repair kits a viable alternative for a spare wheel?

I would REALLY like to get rid of my spare wheel. The wheel is heavy and I need the spare wheel well for... other purposes. In my history of driving I never had to use the spare wheel, so it cost me a lot over time driving it around as that heavy…
I have no idea what I'm doing
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